Newsletter - w/c 04/11/2019
Dear parent/carer,
Please find below the weekly newsletter containing important information.
Half Term - School Reopens on Monday 4th November 2019
We wish you and your child/ren a wonderful half term break together.
We have some exciting events planned for the first day back to school on Monday 4th November 2019:
- Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 - The children will have the option of having their face painted by a glitter artist, specifically with firework designs ready for Bonfire Night - please let your child's class teacher know if you would prefer your child/ren did not have their face painted;
- Years 3-6 - The children will get to roast marshmallows over a campfire; and,
- All children - On Monday, the children will start their artwork to form an installation for Remembrance Day. Every child needs to bring in two empty, clean 2 litre drinks bottles and if you have any black Styrofoam (usually used to hold packs of 4 pieces of fruit) then we would appreciate your child bringing these in also. The children will be making poppies out of these recycled materials and we'll be able to show you the finished piece on Monday 11th November 2019.
Children's Dental Hygiene
This term, we have had a worrying amount of children who have had to have both baby and adult teeth removed, as well as children who have had abscesses, causing them lots of pain as well as affecting their attendance at school. It's upsetting to see so many children in pain when this could be prevented by twice daily brushing of teeth and 6-monthly free visits to the dentist.
Please click here to watch a video with tips about brushing your child's teeth and please click here to find your nearest NHS dentist. Remember, dentistry in the UK is free for children and your child should be going for a check-up every 6 months.
Parent/Carer Survey 2019 - The Results
Please click here to view the results from the 2019 Parent and Carer Survey for which paper copies were provided at Parents and Carers' Evening.
Thank you very much to those parents/carers who completed it; we found the information very useful and it has already influenced some change in our school. For example, if you go onto the calendar on our school website, you will see we have already planned for meetings in July for parents/carers to meet their child's next class teacher and this meeting will include a presentation about the curriculum your child will study next year. Also, our teachers have begun a weekly post containing the homework your child has been given and a brief overview of what learning is happening in the following week. If you haven't already 'friended' your child's class page, please do!
Mrs Geggus (Assistant Headteacher) oversees our School Council and they were tasked last week with talking to their class about what after-school clubs they would like adding to our list. We will spend November/December organising some additional clubs ready for January. If any parent/carer knows of a person or organisation who run after-school clubs, please e-mail admin@hurstdrive.herts.sch.uk with their information. Please note that we may only work with organisations who follow safer recruitment measures (e.g. Disclosure and Barring Service checks for all staff) and who arrange their own tax.
We will continue to update you over the coming weeks and months about changes that you parents and carers have affected in school based on the survey results.
There will be another survey in 2020.
Thank you.
School Uniform
Over the half term break, if needed, please make sure you purchase correct school uniform for your child - particularly smart black shoes instead of trainers. Please also ensure your child's uniform (and their coat and bag) are clearly labelled. We do try our best to reunite children with their clothes but it isn't always possible to police where all 390 children are keeping the jumpers, cardigans, coats etc. they have removed at some point in the day!
Breakfast Club - Final Reminder
If you haven't done so already, please ensure you have booked and paid for your child's November and December places at Breakfast Club. Starting Monday 4th November 2019, any child not on the list will not be permitted entry to Breakfast Club. For your information, currently, there are around 25 available spaces each day for the first week back to school and it costs £1 per child, per session.
Please be aware that you will need to book your child a place in Breakfast Club by 4:30 pm the day before you wish your child to attend as the registers are printed at this time every day.
If your child can not attend Breakfast Club for any reason, Please let the office know so they can amend the register and arrange a credit for your child to attend on another day.
Homework - Half Term
Teachers will be setting the usual homework to be completed over the half term - for children in Years 1-6, this includes a list of spellings to learn, a maths worksheet to complete and a book or books to read. As an additional piece of homework, please ensure you teach your child to tie shoe laces if they're unable to - we have a few children right up to Year 6 who cannot tie laces and it causes problems at school (e.g. tripping over untied laces).
Also, please visit the local library in Waltham Cross on Saturday 26th October 2019 at 11:00am both to borrow some new reading books and also attend their free Halloween Craft Day.
If you would like your child to complete some of our optional homework projects, click here and select your child's class to find the booklet with the information you need.
Bikeability Course – Monday 24th November 2019
We e-mailed a letter for our Bikeability course for children in years 5 & 6 starting on Monday 25th November 2019. If you would like your child to take part please either fill in the attached form or come into the office where we have spare copies.
Year 6 Parent/Carers
The deadline for all Year 6 secondary applications is Thursday 31st October 2019. Please do not forget to apply for your child’s place.
Dinner Money
Just a quick reminder that dinner money needs to be paid in advance on a Monday. Our preferred method of payment is on School Gateway. If you are unable to pay on the School Gateway, please come into the office with the correct money in an envelope. The weekly cost of school dinners is £13.00 for five meals.
If you receive a dinner debt letter, please make sure this is cleared straight away to avoid your child having to bring in a packed lunch until the debt is cleared. Unpaid dinner debts could result in the cost of the school dinner charge being increased in the future which would be unfair for those parents/carers who always pay on time.
Yours sincerely,
The School Office Team
Hurst Drive Primary School
01992 624099
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